Out of this world! Spectacular astronomy photographs go on display in new exhibition at The Royal Observatory Greenwich

Visitors to London's Royal Observatory Greenwich will, for the next few months, be able to feast their eyes on the amazing handiwork of photographers around the world who've captured the night sky at its most beautiful.

A new exhibition includes the images of both amateur and professional
photographers who submitted their work to the Observatory's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.

The winning shot, pictured below, was taken by Australian Martin Pugh and shows the Whirlpool Galaxy, known as M51.

The overall winner in The Royal Observatory's 2012 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition was a depiction of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) by Martin Pugh

Competition judge and Royal Observatory
Public Astronomer, Dr Marek Kukula, said of the winning image: 'The
photographer has made the most of exceptionally good atmospheric
conditions to capture an astonishing range of detail in his image of
this iconic galaxy; the beautiful spiral structure, dark lanes of dust,
and the way the pink clouds of hydrogen really stand out – it’s a
remarkable achievement by an amateur astronomer; one of the best images
of M51 that I’ve seen.'

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Shots that caught the judge's attention include a view of the Milky
Way arching over a mirror lake on the island of Reunion, the aurora borealis (northern lights) above Nordland Fylke in
Norway; and the tiny figures of two hikers set in a dark forest beneath
the skies of Yosemite in California.

Stunning images of the shimmering green aurora borealis, taken in Nordland Fylke, Norway

Suddenly feeling very small: Two hikers at Yosemite National Park are caught on camera under a beguiling night sky

Visitors to the exhibition will also get to see images captured during one of the biggest astronomical events of 2012, the transit of Venus. The planet will not transit again for 105 years and its movement was tracked by photographers all over the globe.

A single image of perhaps the biggest astronomical event of 2012, the transit of Venus, which took place in June, seen here against the backdrop of the Sun

The exhibition runs at the Astronomy Centre at the Royal Observatory Greenwich until 5 February 2013. Admission is free, www.rmg.co.uk/astrophoto